TARA Guide: The Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions

The TARA test, short for the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, is a two-hour computer-based test of critical thinking, problem solving and written communication, sat at Pearson VUE test centres by applicants to a defined set of courses at the University of Oxford and UCL and administered by UAT-UK, a testing body run jointly by Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. It does not test subject knowledge; a strong performance depends on familiarity with the question format, without further study of the A-level syllabus.

Year 12 students applying through UCAS need to check the requirement against their specific course, since Oxford and UCL apply the TARA to a defined set of courses, and a department that requires it for one course does not necessarily require it for every course within that department. Registration with UAT-UK runs to a schedule set apart from the UCAS deadline, and candidates who leave it too late risk missing the booking window entirely.

What is the TARA and which organisation runs it?

The TARA is administered by UAT-UK, the testing organisation set up by Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge, which also runs the ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test) and the TMUA (Test of Mathematics for University Admission). Candidates sit the TARA on a computer at a Pearson VUE test centre, the network used for all three tests, with centres available in more than 180 countries. Cambridge co-runs UAT-UK but does not require the TARA for its own courses; Oxford and UCL do, and each applies it only to the courses stated on its own course pages.

• UAT-UK also administers the ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test)
• UAT-UK also administers the TMUA (Test of Mathematics for University Admission)

Which universities and courses require the TARA?

Two universities currently require the TARA, and each applies it to a specified group of courses only, so Year 12 students need to check the course page for the exact route, such as BSc or MEng, they intend to apply for, since requirements can differ within the same department.

Even within a single course, the modules required can differ. Oxford's course pages for Economics and Management and for History and Economics both state that a candidate applying to Oxford only for that course, and not to another TARA-requiring course elsewhere, does not need to complete the Writing Task module and may finish after the Critical Thinking and Problem Solving modules; the test appointment still covers the full two hours on the assumption that all three modules will be attempted, so candidates in this position are advised to tell the invigilator on arrival.

• Oxford: Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)
• Oxford: Economics and Management
• Oxford: Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics (PPL)
• Oxford: History and Economics
• Oxford: History and Politics
• Oxford: Experimental Psychology
• Oxford: Human Sciences
• Oxford: Astrophoria Foundation Year, PPE route
• UCL: Computer Science BSc and MEng
• UCL: Computer Science and Mathematics MEng
• UCL: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng
• UCL uses the TARA for Mechanical Engineering, BEng and MEng, and applicants should check UCL's course page to confirm current requirements.

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What are the TARA's sections, timings and question types?

The TARA runs for two hours in total and is divided into three modules of 40 minutes each, sat back to back in a single sitting: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and a Writing Task. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving each present 22 multiple-choice questions, while the Writing Task offers a choice of three essay prompts, of which a candidate answers one, within a 750-word limit.

No calculator or dictionary is permitted in any module, and no marks are deducted for an incorrect answer, so candidates are advised to attempt every question instead of leaving any blank.

• Critical Thinking: 40 minutes, 22 multiple-choice questions
• Problem Solving: 40 minutes, 22 multiple-choice questions
• Writing Task: 40 minutes, one essay chosen from three prompts, maximum 750 words

How are TARA results reported and used?

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are each scored on a scale of 1.0 to 9.0, reported to one decimal place, while the Writing Task is not scored by UAT-UK and is instead forwarded as a copy to the universities named on the candidate's application. Results appear in the candidate's UAT-UK account roughly four weeks after the test sitting, with an email sent to confirm they are ready, and are sent automatically only to the institutions on the UCAS application that require the test.

How a university weighs the score varies by course. Oxford's PPE admissions criteria describe TARA and interview performance as evidence of a candidate's future potential, considered alongside predicted and achieved grades, contextual data, the UCAS teacher reference and the personal statement, and it is not presented as a standalone cut-off score deciding an offer on its own.

When are the TARA sittings, and how does registration relate to the UCAS deadline?

UAT-UK sits the TARA in an October sitting and a January sitting, with candidates permitted to sit it only once per admissions cycle. Oxford and UCL applicants sit the October sitting, which falls in mid-October, with booking closing in late September and results reaching candidates in mid-November. The January sitting is available only to some mature and foundation-year applicants.

Registration opens separately from, and ahead of, the UCAS application. In the most recent round, a UAT-UK account could be created from 1 June, booking for the October sitting opened on 20 July and closed on 28 September, and booking for the January sitting opened on 26 October and closed on 21 December, so candidates intending to sit in October have a defined window of several weeks in which to register.

UCAS itself warns that some admissions tests carry a registration deadline earlier than the UCAS submission deadline, and the TARA is a case in point: Oxford requires all its undergraduate applicants to sit the TARA in October, ahead of its own UCAS deadline, with the Astrophoria Foundation Year the only exception, since its own January UCAS deadline allows its applicants to choose either sitting. UCL applicants who are not also applying to Oxford may choose whichever sitting suits them.

What test did the TARA replace?

At Oxford, the TARA now applies to the courses listed above, having replaced the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA); it is a different test from the TSA, with its own format and content, and UAT-UK's official website publishes the specification and practice material for it. The TARA is also a requirement at UCL, so candidates there should check the current course page directly instead of assuming it follows from whatever assessment a course used in previous cycles.

How should candidates prepare, and what mistakes are worth avoiding?

UAT-UK's own TARA Content Specification and TARA Question Guide, both published on the UAT-UK website, set out the skills each module tests and the style of question used, and are the starting point for preparation. The Pearson VUE landing page for UAT-UK hosts six official TARA tests built in the same software as the live test: a specimen test with explained answers and a separate sample test that gives a score only, for each of the Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Writing Task modules.

• Assuming a university's reputation determines the requirement instead of checking the specific course page, since the TARA applies to defined courses only
• Leaving registration until close to the UCAS deadline, when the TARA's own booking window closes earlier
• Revising subject content instead of practising the question format, since the TARA does not test A-level knowledge
• Overlooking that the Writing Task is not required for every course-university combination, and preparing for the wrong set of modules as a result
• Relying on unofficial mock papers instead of the specimen tests and specification published by UAT-UK

Booking the TARA: UAT-UK account, Pearson VUE and test day

Candidates register for the TARA by creating a UAT-UK account before booking a seat at a Pearson VUE test centre, the same network used for the ESAT and TMUA. The name on the account must match the ID presented on test day, and any request for access arrangements or a bursary has to be submitted before a test slot is selected, since that option closes once a booking is made. Pearson VUE test centres operate in many countries, so most candidates can find a sitting within a reasonable distance of home.

• Create a UAT-UK account before booking; details must match the ID shown at check-in
• Apply for access arrangements or a bursary before selecting a test slot
• Book through Pearson VUE, the same network used for the ESAT and TMUA
• Bring valid photo ID (passport or photo driving licence); no calculators, phones, dictionaries or bags in the test room
• A PC, keyboard, mouse and erasable notebook are provided for rough working

Applicants weighing up TARA-assessed courses against other options can checkOxford acceptance rates by subjectbefore deciding which route to prioritise.

The TARA sits alongside the ESAT and TMUA within the current set ofOxford and Cambridge admissions tests, each tied to a different group of courses.

Applicants deciding between a TARA-assessed course and a mathematics-based course should read ourTMUA guideto compare the two tests directly.

Candidates applying for Experimental Psychology, where the TARA is required, often ask whatsuper-curricular activities for Psychologyare worth pursuing alongside test preparation.

How the TARA compares with the TMUA

The TARA and the TMUA are both run by UAT-UK and sat at Pearson VUE centres, but they test different things and apply to different courses. The TARA has three 40-minute modules, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and a Writing Task, and carries no subject content. The TMUA is two 75-minute multiple-choice papers testing mathematical knowledge and mathematical reasoning drawn from A-level maths. Oxford requires the TARA for courses such as PPE, Economics and Management and Experimental Psychology, and the TMUA for its Mathematics and Computer Science courses, so the course applied for decides which test is sat.

• TARA: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and a Writing Task; the two multiple-choice modules are scored 1.0 to 9.0
• TMUA: Applications of Mathematical Knowledge and Mathematical Reasoning papers, scored as a single 1.0 to 9.0 result
• Neither test permits a calculator or dictionary

Official TARA preparation material and past papers

The TARA has no past papers of its own, so the official material is the specification, the TARA Question Guide, and the specimen and sample tests described above. UAT-UK itself points candidates towards two retired tests whose question styles overlap with Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: the Thinking Skills Assessment, used by Oxford until the TARA replaced it, and Section 1 of the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT). Both are useful for extra practice once the official material has been worked through, provided candidates remember that neither matches the TARA's format or Writing Task exactly.

• TARA specification and TARA Question Guide, published by UAT-UK
• Six tests on the Pearson VUE landing page: a specimen test (explained answers) and a sample test (score only) for each of Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task
• No official TARA past papers; UAT-UK points candidates to TSA Section 1 and BMAT Section 1 archives, both retired, different tests, for extra practice

Related guides

• TARA practice questions and past papers
• ESAT, TMUA and TARA dates
• University admissions tests in the UK: which test for which course
• TSA guide: current position and what replaced it
• Oxford PPE application guide
• Super-curricular activities for politics and PPE

TARA practice tests and past papers

UAT-UK's TARA Content Specification and TARA Question Guide, both free on the UAT-UK website, set out what each module tests before a candidate looks at any practice material. The Pearson VUE landing page for UAT-UK then hosts six official TARA tests, built in the same software as the live test: a specimen test with explained answers and a separate sample test that gives a score only, for each of Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task.

Because the TARA is new, UAT-UK has not published past papers of its own. Instead it directs candidates to two retired tests with similar question styles: Section 1 of the Thinking Skills Assessment, which Oxford used before the TARA replaced it, and Section 1 of the Biomedical Admissions Test. Both are useful once the official specimen tests have been worked through, though neither reproduces the TARA's Writing Task or its exact format.

• TARA Content Specification and TARA Question Guide, published by UAT-UK
• Six Pearson VUE tests: specimen (explained answers) and sample (score only) for each module
• Thinking Skills Assessment Section 1 papers, archived for extra practice
• BMAT Section 1 papers, archived for extra practice

Applicants weighing a TARA-assessed course against an alternative can compareOxford acceptance rates by coursebefore deciding which application route to prioritise.

TARA specification: what each module tests

UAT-UK's content specification defines Critical Thinking as reasoning using everyday written language, testing whether a candidate can identify an argument's conclusion, spot an unstated assumption and judge whether the evidence given actually supports the claim, using passages that assume no specialist knowledge. Problem Solving is defined as reasoning using numerical skills, drawing only on mathematics most candidates will have covered before GCSE; it does not draw on A-level content. The Writing Task asks candidates to weigh different aspects of a proposition and organise that into a disciplined 750-word response, with no dictionary or spell-checker permitted.

The three modules run in a fixed order, Critical Thinking followed by Problem Solving followed by the Writing Task, back to back within the single two-hour appointment and with no scheduled break between them. Each module is separately timed and a candidate cannot return to an earlier one once it has closed, and time left over from finishing a module early does not carry forward to the next.

• Number concepts: simple fractions, place value, percentages
• Numerical operations: the four rules of number, percentage calculations, averages
• Quantities and units: time, money, measures, and metric conversions such as 1 km = 1000 m
• Space: area, perimeter and volume of simple shapes
• Tables and graphs: extracting information from charts and tables

The TARA Writing Task

The TARA Writing Task is the third 40-minute module, in which a candidate chooses one essay prompt from three and writes no more than 750 words on a computer. UAT-UK does not mark it; a copy of the response goes to each participating university the candidate has applied to.

UAT-UK's content specification describes the task as a chance to consider different aspects of a proposition and communicate them effectively, with the word limit set to promote the disciplined selection and organisation of ideas. Planning therefore usually means spending the first few minutes choosing the prompt with the most to weigh on each side, then ordering the points before writing. Dictionaries and electronic spell-checkers are not permitted.

• Each module is separately timed, so finishing a multiple-choice module early gives no extra minutes for the essay.
• The 750-word limit applies to the whole response, which favours a few well-developed points over a long list.

Is there a TARA score calculator?

No official TARA score calculator exists, because UAT-UK publishes no table converting raw marks into scores. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving each contain 22 questions worth one mark apiece, with no marks deducted for incorrect answers, and each module is reported separately on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place.

Any unofficial calculator therefore produces an estimate only, and the Writing Task, which is not marked, adds nothing to either score. The most reliable way to judge progress is to track the number of correct answers on timed specimen and sample tests, module by module.

Tutoring with Taylor Tuition

Families working through the specification and the Pearson VUE practice tests together often bring in one of ouradmissions test tutorsto structure timed practice around a candidate's weaker module.

Families preparing a UCAS application that includes the TARA often look forOxbridge application supportto manage registration deadlines alongside personal statements and references.

Families who come to us for this stage usually want a tutor who can diagnose where the marks are being lost and then build a steady routine around it, and that is how our programmes are set up. Our tutors are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools.

Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check, and families receive progress reports after sessions.

Read more about ourTARA tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.